Harrison, Oh. – The Transylvania men's golf team are Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference champions once again, claiming the title for the 2022 season after capping off a strong spring at the Miami Whitewater Forest Golf Course. The Pioneers played in a total of nine different events throughout the fall and spring, and are back on top with their fourteenth conference championship. Three Transylvania athletes finished in the top five, as the team took care of business with a resounding victory.
Transylvania finished with a total score of 913 which was more than enough to take the win as it gave them a 33 stroke lead. Rounding out the top three were Franklin, who shot a total score of 946, and Rose-Hulman who shot a 947.
With day one in the books the Pioneers turned in a first round score of 304. Hanover College sat in second with 312, and Rose-Hulman took third putting 315 on the board. Leading the way for Transylvania on the opening day was Tyler Allred, who finished with a score of 74 (+3). Following right behind was Tim Alexander, in second with 75 (+4).
Throughout day two Allred and Alexander maintained their excellent play. By the end of the round Transylvania remained atop the standings with a team score of 608. Alexander matched his first round score of 75, making a two-round total of 150, putting him atop of the 43 player field. Allred shot a 77 which put him in second, for a total of 151 with two days down. Fellow Pioneer Andrew Stultz was in a group tied for fourth overall with a score of 155 after the two rounds were played.
Although nothing changed with Transy still in first, Rose-Hulman improved to second, with a 626 score. With another round still to go, it set up a suspenseful finish for the final day, between the two teams that had battled it out for first in last year's championship.
Ahead by 18 strokes with the final 18 holes remaining, Transylvania needed to keep up their precise and consistent play to bring home the title, and they did just that. Their round three score of 305 was enough for a comfortable win, as the team wrapped up with a total three round score of 913. The Pioneers won each individual round with scores of 304, 304, and 305 respectively. As it turned out, last year's champion Rose-Hulman finished in third, with Franklin College jumping up to second to finish the event.
Alexander finished first overall after his three straight rounds of shooting 75 for a total of 225. The senior wrapped up his final HCAC championship with an individual Medalist title that helped propel the Pios back on top of the conference.
Allred and Gritton also placed in the top five, Allred in second with a total of 226, and Gritton in fourth at 232, after the sophomore's best round came in at 73. Rhett Cox was the fourth Pioneer in the top ten, as he tied for tenth with a total score of 238. Stultz also had an impressive showing, the sophomore shooting a 246 total, that tied him for 25th place.
Named to the 2022 HCAC All-Conference Team were Tim Alexander, Tyler Allred, Reed Gritton, and Rhett Cox.
With another outstanding year leading the team, head coach Brian Lane was named 2022 Coach of the Year from the conference.
With the title, Transylvania earns a berth in the NCAA National Championships, to be held in Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida, beginning on Tuesday May 10th, and running through Friday May 13th. Stay tuned on Transysports.com and follow @TransyGolf on Twitter for updates!
Full results of the 2022 HCAC Men's Golf Championships can be found here.
For more information on Transylvania men's golf, follow @TransyGolf on Twitter.
